1. The journey starts by with the first step:
Creating the Higher Ed Student Learning
Journey
Dr Michael Sankey
Program Manager: Learning Technologies & Environments
USQ
2. Stolen from…
"A journey of a thousand
miles begins with a
single step."
Confucius (551-479BC)
Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)
3. Teacher support
Establish a context
The SLJ
F2F strategies
Online strategies
Some examples
Now its over to you
5. University of Southern Queensland
• Founded in 1967
• A distance ed provider since 1977
• Fully online programs since 1997
• 5 Faculties: Arts, Business & Law, Education, Sciences,
Engineering & Surveying
• All faculties have external programs
• More than 200 under-grad and
post-grad award programs
6. Enrolled students USQ
• All students 26,000
• On-campus 6,000
• External/online 20,000 (77%)
• International 7,400 (2,300 ONC)
The vast majority of USQ students access
information services online
Most Students and Staff know what they’re getting
themselves in for when they come to USQ
7. Some current strategies
Every student has a named person to contact
Every course has an online presence
Minimum standards for all courses
Threshold standards – based in a eLearning framework
Learning Innovation & Teaching Enhancement (LITE)
teams
Significant media enhancement available
Strong focus on the Student Learning Journey (SLJ) and
personal learning environment (PLE)
8. Some current trends
Print – Progressively reducing but still wanted by some
- but will be gone within 18 months
Digital content – Increasingly more accessible &
able to be used on mobile devices
CDs – popular for many years but will also be gone
within 18 months
Physical spaces – Comfortable
places to meet, study, eat, talk and
recharge.
BYOD – Closed two computer labs
9. Discernable periods in SLJ
Application & The early Continuing Completing Alumni
offer weeks study study
Student Learning Journey
Decision to Enrol Experience of first Unforseen Graduation
enrol semester events
The SLJ is a series of interactions between students & the Uni.
Identified 9 student groups with some 150 individual points of
interaction.
10. Accessing the Student Voice
Professor Geoff Scott in his report Accessing
the Student Voice (2005) concluded that ‘it is
the whole experience that matters to students.
Students are not concerned about whether or
not a particular interaction is academic or
administrative, but they are concerned about the quality of
the interaction. In this context, the quality of interactions in
the pre-enrolment phase is just as important as the quality of
face-to-face and/or virtual interactions in academic study or
in completing study (including graduation ceremony and
membership of the Alumni Network)’.
11. Key interaction points
Decision to enrol
Application and offer process
Enrolment process
The early weeks (orientation & first classes) • Learning
The experience of study in the 1st Semester Centre
• Student
Preparing for the next semester Services
• Library
Continuing study the following years • Careers &
When things don't go as planned employment
Completing study
12. SLJ Online Services
ENROL ORIENT & TRANSITION
ENGAGE
• Admission/Offer/Accept/Defer/ • Orientation on Moodle
Decline • Access to StudyDesk
• Enquiry Management (RightNow) • Course re/Enrol (add, swap, • Access to UConnect
• Future Student Website drop, edit) • UConnect Announc’s & Alerts
• Application • View exemptions processing
• Information in 8 languages • UMail activation and passwords
• Open Day & Info Evening • Create/Amend Study Plan • Oncampus timetable
• View Class Enrolment • Personal SRO details
Programs
• Residential College Applications Now • Enter/Update Personal details • Student Services Videos
Now • Careers Resources • Enter/Update/Request Support Now • Tutorial Registration
• Scholarships & Application Forms –Disability • Res College Invoicing & Pmts
• Disability Resources • Fee Inv’s, calculator &
• Student Representation • Fee Acc. Enquiries & CAS
payments Forms
• Web Campaign pages • Student ID Cards
• New International website • Student Guild Website
• New program Guide • Student Loans • Current students website
• Chat for enquiries • Program Enrol (Cancel, • Online Forums – Clubs &
Coming Reinstate, Leave of Absence) Societies
• Send/Update Profile form • e-Newsletter
• Alpha list of Alumni Profiles • Alumnus of the Year Awards
ALUMNI • Chapter listings • Personal, Professions and
• Chapter tool-kit bus.dev. opportunity listings
• New Chapter EOI form •CareerHub Mentoring
LEARNING SUPPORT
GRADUATE PROGRESS
• AWARE Program
• Check Study Package Status • ALS Online Resources (TLC)
• View & Print Unofficial • Enquiry Management (RightNow)
• Academic Dress ordering Transcripts • Counselling Resources
• Ceremony Registration • Exam Timetables • Careers Counselling
• Graduate Employment
Now Resources
• View & Update Exam Centres
• Results
Now • Employment, WIL, Mentoring
• Intern. Stud. Assistance Line
• CareerHub Jobs Database
• Graduation Ceremony Videos Now • USQ Handbook
• Policy Library
• Digital Learning @USQ site
• Wimba workshops in maths
• View & Update Statistical Data • Counselling & Health Promotion
• Scholarships & Loans • Academic Intervention Form
• Disability Support
• Employer Speed-Networking
• Online Payment for Graduations • The Honk (Student Guild) • Personal Counselling
Coming & replacement Testamurs • Learning Centre web page update
Coming • TLC in other languages
Coming • CRM Retention Intervention • Student Services CO Engagement
13. Some key things
Student relationship officers
Academic learning support
Peer assisted learning
USQ Retention strategy
Communities of Practice (CoPs)
Graduate skills and capabilities
ePortfolios
Closing the loop
Alumni
15. Student Relationship Officer (SRO) Network
STUDENT MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Recruitment & Admissions – prospective and new students
USQ International – prospective and new students
Student Support & Retention – current and continuing students
FACULTIES
Student Support staff in each Faculty based at Toowoomba
campus
CAMPUSES
Discipline based SROs based at Springfield & Fraser Coast
campuses
16. Current Discipline Allocation for SRO’s within
Student Support
•Student Relationship Officers
•Sciences
Student Support Coordinator Roxanne Parker Lorraine Juliana
Shannon Svensen
(Raeleen Cahill) Business & Law
Deb Busiko Emma Goltz
Clinton Bell
Manager, Enrolments
& Student Support
Janelle Hartwig •Arts
Dana Eggleston Shani McCormack
Student Support Coordinator Education
Deborah Sutton Maureen Crosisca
(Clinton Bell) Jason Steinhardt Mary Reyes
Engineering & Surveying
Marg Kenny Damien Zekants
17. RELATIONSHIP FRAMEWORK
SUPPORT ADVICE EXPERTISE
Individual or specific Individual academic
support (individual advice, career or
personal counselling etc
students)
Specific or targeted
Course and program
support (specific
advice, retention etc
students)
Student support,
Must have (all
recruitment and
students)
retention etc
Available and common
Available and common to specific student Specific, individual
to all students and / or cohorts and/or
cohorts
advice and support
individuals
18. Proactive support
Retention Management
Introduction Dana
Week 4
Week 6 Damien
Week 10
Week 15 Shani
Week18
Study Desk Inactivity
Pilot Projects - Assignment Non-Submission
- Missed Exams
19. Academic learning support
Online and face-to-face sessions for
communication skills and maths:
Individual or small group consultations
face to face
phone
email
online chat.
Workshops
Meet - Up
Course-based assistance
22. The Learning Centre
Also do:
• lectures on common problem areas
• embedded workshops in lectures in collaboration with
academic staff
• and we have an online learning centre
23. Meet-Up
54 Meet-Up groups meeting
Sessions are different from tutorials as they are:
led by students who have previously done the course
responsive to your needs as a student
interactive, informal and fun
they encourage discussion
and develop understanding
of course content
concerned with how to learn
as well as what to learn
supervised by qualified
academic staff
28. Peer assisted learning
We’re good at doing
it for students
Meet-Up student
leaders
Online student
mentors
For staff
Learning Technologists in centralised units
Faculty technology mentors
29. The role of the teacher
They are our
interface
In most cases
they want to
But are not
confident
And not overly
aware of what
others are doing
30. Example short course
A Key: Get the staff using the same tools as
the students (if it’s good for the students it’s good for us)
Image accessed 24 February 2012 from:
http://www.fusionhq.com/package/templates/0/eatingdogfood.jpg
31. ePortfolios
Personal learning environment
Outside Artefact 1
environments
View 1
Artefact 2 For course assessments Group 1
Twitter
Artefact 3
Flickr Skill 1 Group 2
View 2
For potential employers
Artefact 5
YouTube
Individual 1
Artefact 6
Facebook Skill 2 View 3
For parents or friends
Individual 2
Artefact 8
32. Staff portfolio
Professional
portfolio
Evidence for
promotion
Teaching tool
Interest group
interaction
Linked with the LMS
11,000 Portfolios – 24,000 pages
34. Communities of Practice
Groups of people who share a passion for
something that they know how to do and
who interact regularly to learn how to do it
better. CoPs provide an opportunity to
create a learning community around an
area of interest or practice, to share and develop practice and
build personal and professional knowledge and expertise.
21 + CoPs – e.g. CoP for Faculty technology mentors
35. Management or Facilitation
What we have had What is emerging
Traditional LMS LMS
Activity4
Activity1
EdCom/OER etc.
Activity1
Activity2
PLE
Activity3 Activity2
Activity3
Activity4
37. Defined minimum standards
1. An introductory message, posted before the start of semester, which:
welcomes students to the course;
introduces the teaching team for the course;
describes how the StudyDesk space will be used throughout the semester;
and
explains how students may obtain support by appropriately directing
academic or technical. enquiries.
2. Checking of discussions and other student access areas on at least
three [3] working days per week in order to:
monitor and moderate comments and discussion by students;
manage course operation by responding to student enquiries and learning
activities.
3. Student requests for clarification or assistance should be responded to
as soon as possible, but certainly within 48 hours during the working
week.
42. Currently 8
1. Institution policy and governance for technology supported
learning and teaching
2. Planning for, and quality improvement of the integration of
technologies for learning and teaching
3. Information technology infrastructure to support learning and
teaching
4. Pedagogical application of information and communication
technology
5. Professional/staff development for the effective use of
technologies for learning and teaching
6. Staff support for the use of technologies for learning and
teaching
7. Student training for the effective use of technologies for learning
8. Student support for the use of technologies for learning
The Student Relationship Officer Network within the Student Management Division has three main teams consisting of SRO’s. These teams are Domestic Recruitment & Admissions, USQ Internationaland Student Support & Retention.There are discipline based SRO’s at each of the campuses who assist with Faculty administration, similar to Student Support roles in Toowoomba Faculties. The Springfield and Fraser Coast SRO’s have a blended role which include SRO and Faculty administrative duties.So what is a Student Relationship Officer and what do they do? SRO’s are responsible for providing USQ’s brand of student support to help students achieve their goals, guide them through the challenges that study can bring and to celebrate our student’s success.
Let’s have a closer look at the SRO’s within the Student Support and Retention team. There are 13 full time SRO positions who report to 2 Student Support Coordinators. The team is overseen by Manager Student Support and Retention. Each SRO is allocated a specific disciplinenamely Arts, Business & Law, Education, Engineering & Surveying and Sciences. This is the structure our team and if we take a closer look at the Business & Law Discipline, we can see that Deb Busiko and Emma Goltz are the nominated Business & Law SRO’s. In addition to this, our team is the first point of contact for the University and we can assist visitors and students from any faculty. This ensures all enquiries receive a consistent high quality service.
Fundamentally within the Relationship Framework, the majority of questions the SRO team answer are general support enquiries. Examples of which include resetting passwords, advise on recommended enrolment patterns, study materials and exam timetables, to name a few. The advice column is when the SRO’s hand the enquiry over to the Faculty or relevant area to provide specific information, such as a complex enrolment question or querying the grounds of a failed exemption application. The hand-over point beyond this is where expert advice may be required. Examples of this would include referrals to counselling support that is offered by Student Services, specific course content enquiries to the relevant academic.As you can see there is another line on the bottom of the slide which represents the enquiry passingbetween teams, an issue or enquiry can be passed in either direction when required.
We are continually trying to improve our proactive support. We send a variety of timely communications to specific student cohorts to support and guide them on through the different stages of their student learning journey. As part of our retention management plan we monitor and communicate with students who are new to USQ year on a regular basis. The types of information we communicate to students include orientation programs, enrolment health check, learning centre academic support, exam preparation, effective study techniques and end of semester results. Proactively communicating with our students can eliminate the stress and confusion that students can sometimes feel during their first semester. Student Support contacts students who are enrolled in courses and have not accessed their study desk within the first few weeks of the commencement of semester. This ensures students know how and where to access their course content and view vital information posted by their course leaders.We strive to work with other departments on pilot projects to further ensure the success of our students. Some of the most recent examples of this include working with the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying on projects such as contacting students who do not participate in submission of assignments and for those who do not to sit their final exams. Further information will be available at a later date once the review process has taken place.